The present invention relates to an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle in the event of a side impact to the vehicle and/or a vehicle rollover.
It is known to inflate a vehicle occupant protection device to help protect a vehicle occupant in the event of a vehicle collision. One particular type of inflatable vehicle occupant protection device is an inflatable curtain that inflates from the roof of the vehicle downward inside the passenger compartment between a vehicle occupant and the side structure of the vehicle in the event of a side impact or rollover. Such an inflatable curtain is inflated by inflation fluid directed from an inflator to the inflatable curtain through a fill tube.
The present invention relates to an apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle that has a side structure and a roof. The apparatus includes an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device. The inflatable vehicle occupant protection device is adapted to inflate away from the vehicle roof into a deployed position between the side structure of the vehicle and a vehicle occupant. An inflation fluid source provides inflation fluid for inflating the inflatable vehicle occupant protection device. The apparatus also includes an anchoring device.
The anchoring device comprises a track and an element that is slidable along the track. The track is connected to the vehicle side structure and has a wall comprising a smooth uninterrupted surface extending along the length of the track. The element is connected to the inflatable vehicle occupant protection device and has a surface that is in continuous engagement with the smooth uninterrupted surface of the wall.
The inflatable vehicle occupant protection device applies a first force to the element during inflation of the inflatable vehicle occupant protection device. The first force causes the element to slide in a first direction along the track. The element is urged to slide along the track in a second direction, opposite the first direction, when a second force is applied to the element. The surface of the element engages the smooth uninterrupted surface of the wall to block the element from sliding in the second direction along the track.